SportAccord Announce SJA Panel to Coincide Convention

An Olympic-themed ‘Sporting Question Time’ is to be staged on April 5 to coincide with the SportAccord Convention taking place in London by the Sports Journalists’ Association.

The discussion will be held in the debating chamber of the old County Hall on London’s South Bank, with up to 200 of Britain’s leading sportswriters, editors and invited guests from international federations and national governing bodies able to put Olympic questions to the expert panel at the event. The all-ticket SJA event will be free to attend, with priority given to media accredited for SportAccord.

Panellists, who will be confirmed nearer the date, will include representatives from the London 2012 Games organising committee, the International Olympic Committee, British sporting agencies and the international media.

SJA chairman Barry Newcombe stated: “We are delighted to be able to stage our event alongside SportAccord as the convention is held in London for the first time.”

“Last year we staged a similar event with the sports spokesmen of the UK’s three leading political parties ahead of the UK General Election, and generated headlines for the rest of the week. We are sure that our Olympic Question Time will be just as newsworthy,” he added.

Anna Hellman, executive director of the SportAccord Convention, also stated: “We are gratified that the SJA is using the special occasion of the SportAccord Convention being in London to organise this initiative bringing together sport and the media.”